Buffalo Sabres Reassign Lukas Rousek
03/26/23: The Sabres announced this morning that Rousek has been sent back down to AHL Rochester.
It’s a tough break for one of Rochester’s top scorers, as Rousek didn’t draw into the lineup for the Sabres’ win over the New York Islanders yesterday. Having spent the day a healthy scratch, he’ll now head back to the AHL where he’ll resume playing a major role in the Americans’ playoff push.
03/25/23: Lukas Rousek’s first full professional season has been a strong one and he was rewarded for his efforts on Saturday as the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the forward from Rochester of the AHL.
The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019 and this is his first NHL promotion. After an ACL injury cost him the bulk of last season, Rousek has been productive this year with the Americans, notching 15 goals and 33 assists in 61 games; his assist and point totals are good for second on the team in scoring. If Rousek suits up for the Sabres, he’ll be the third player from their 2019 draft class to see NHL action.
Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News clarifies (Twitter link) that the move has been classified as an emergency recall. Tage Thompson was injured last night while Jordan Greenway has missed the last week with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Vinnie Hinostroza is away from the team for personal reasons so Buffalo certainly needed to bring a forward up. Rousek will get that opportunity but as soon as one of those players is able to return, he’ll need to be sent back to the minors or have his recall converted to a regular one which would then count against the post-deadline limit of four.
New Jersey Devils Send Down Akira Schmid
As Mackenzie Blackwood makes his way back into the lineup for the New Jersey Devils, the team had a difficult choice to make in the net. The team announced today that goaltender Akira Schmid will be sent down to their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. With nine games remaining in their regular season, the Comets are coming close to making the playoffs in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 31-23-6.
After a difficult start to his NHL career last season, Schmid has rebounded significantly this year. Playing on a top team in New Jersey, the goaltender has a record of 8-5-2, with a .918 SV% and a 2.24 GAA, including one shutout as well. Even the underlying numbers bode well for Schmid, with a Goals Against Percentage Minus of 86, and a High-Danger Scoring Chance Save Percentage of .855, Schmid has improved a considerable amount in his second year.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid will be able to log important minutes for a competitive team in Utica. As the Devils have now clinched a playoff spot, they will now have the luxury of all three top goalies on their depth chart playing important hockey into late April.
Kraken Assign Joey Daccord To AHL
While he fared well in a pair of games on a recall earlier this week, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Joey Daccord to Coachella Valley of the AHL. The assignment was needed with Philipp Grubauer returning from an illness to make the start against Nashville today.
The 26-year-old picked up a victory on Tuesday in Dallas while allowing only one goal in a shootout loss to Nashville on Thursday, allowing Seattle to maintain a one-point advantage on Winnipeg for the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. However, to keep Daccord up, they would have had to use one of their two remaining regular recalls and they’ve decided that’s not the best strategy at this time, especially with AHL Coachella Valley being in a close battle for the top spot in the AHL.
Daccord has spent the bulk of the year with the Firebirds and has fared quite well, posting a 2.43 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 34 games so far this season. He’ll once again partner with backup Chris Driedger who is working his way back after tearing his ACL at the World Championship last season.
Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen And Trey Fix-Wolansky
While the Blue Jackets picked up an overtime victory on Friday, it came at a cost with both defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and winger Mathieu Olivier (lower body) exiting with injuries. Accordingly, they announced a pair of recalls from the minors as they have brought up defenseman Jake Christiansen and winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis.
Christiansen has suited up in 18 games with the Blue Jackets so far this season. In that stretch, he has a pair of assists while averaging roughly a block and a hit per contest while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night. However, despite not being particularly productive in Columbus, the 23-year-old has done well offensively with the Monsters, collecting eight goals and 21 assists in 43 games to help him earn this recall.
As for Fix-Wolansky, the 23-year-old has appeared in four games with Columbus this season. He has been held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging just under ten minutes a night. However, Fix-Wolansky has been one of the top scorers in the minors this season, picking up 26 goals and 51 assists in 53 games with the Monsters, numbers that put him in fourth league-wide in points. With the injuries that Columbus has, he might have a chance of playing a little higher in the lineup this time around.
As both of these recalls are designated as emergency ones, they will not count against the post-deadline limit of four per team. However, as soon as Gudbranson or Olivier (or anyone else currently injured at their positions return), they will have to be returned to the AHL or converted to a regular recall at that time which would then count against the limit of four.
Alex Galchenyuk Assigned To AHL
Following their victory over Arizona on Friday, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forward Alex Galchenyuk back to AHL Colorado.
The 29-year-old was brought up on an emergency recall after Artturi Lehkonen suffered a broken finger but Galchenyuk wasn’t exactly productive during that stretch. In the six games he played, he didn’t record a point while averaging less than six minutes per contest. For the season, Galchenyuk has played in ten games with the Avs, putting up zeros across the board offensively.
To his credit, Galchenyuk has been much more productive in the minors, tallying 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games with the Eagles. His time with them has been the longest minor league stint of his career as prior to this season, he had played in all of six career AHL contests.
With Lehkonen and Evan Rodrigues (concussion protocol) both out of the lineup, the Avs will need to make a recall prior to Sunday’s game. It could be Galchenyuk again but with his performance being underwhelming thus far, they might look to give someone else an opportunity to make an impression.
AHL Notes: Hurricanes Prospects, Pouliot, St. Cyr
The AHL’s Chicago Wolves brought two players in from Europe today, Hurricanes prospects Tuukka Tieksola and Ville Koivunen, according to a team announcement. Tieksola, 21, has already played 40 games for the Wolves this season, scoring 15 points. He was loaned back to Karpat in Liiga in February to help with their playoff push, but now after their elimination from Liiga’s playoffs, he’s back in North America. The 2019 fourth-rounder had five points in 11 games on his loan.
Koivunen, 19, is now put in a position to make his North American professional debut. The 2021 second-round pick has spent most of this season with Karpat and has scored a highly impressive 12 goals and 28 points in 52 games. By allowing him to get some games under his belt in Chicago, the Hurricanes organization is giving Koivunen a head start on getting the positive qualities of his game to translate to North American ice surfaces. While the Wolves have struggled immensely in their post-Calder Cup Championship season, adding two promising Finns to their lineup could spark a more energetic finish to their campaign.
- The San Jose Sharks have reassigned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The 29-year-old Pouliot has been in the Sharks’ lineup mix since early March, and has played in a total of eight games for the team. He played a steady diet of minutes for coach David Quinn, and finishes with two points on his score sheet. With the Barracuda hoping to make one final push to conclude what has so far been a disappointing season, getting Pouliot (who has 21 points in 28 AHL games this year) will certainly give them a boost.
- Dylan St. Cyr, a 23-year-old former NCAA goaltender, has signed an ATO agreement with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, per a team announcement. The signing comes off the heels of a solid final collegiate season for St. Cyr, who posted a .915 save percentage for the Michigan State Spartans. St. Cyr is the son of Olympic silver medalist and Tampa Bay Lightning exhibition goaltender Manon Rheaume, and he will get a chance to play some professional hockey just as she did.
Carl Dahlstrom Clears Waivers
Mar 24: Dahlstrom has cleared waivers, per CapFriendly, clearing the way for him to be assigned to the Marlies.
Mar 23: While you don’t see players on waivers very often after the trade deadline passes, it happens occasionally. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Carl Dahlstrom on waivers, indicating that the veteran defenseman is ready to play after a long absence.
Dahlstrom, 28, suffered a serious shoulder injury in training camp that required surgery and has yet to play this season. By clearing waivers, he can be assigned directly to the Toronto Marlies, where he can get up to game speed.
Dahlstrom played three games for the Maple Leafs last season, but was a regular in the Marlies lineup, scoring 14 points in 49 games. While Toronto likely won’t need him for the NHL playoffs after acquiring so much defensive depth at the deadline, he does represent a potential emergency option should they suffer several injuries down the stretch.
His one-year, two-way contract will expire at the end of this season, making him an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Minnesota Wild Reassign Sammy Walker
The Minnesota Wild have reassigned forward Sammy Walker to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, the team announced Friday.
Walker, 23, has appeared in eight games this season, two of them coming since he was recalled earlier this month. He’s recorded a goal in those eight appearances, averaging 10:25 per game. The Minnesota-born rookie has spent his first pro season mostly with Iowa, where he’s exploded for 25 goals and 20 assists in 50 games.
He now heads back to Iowa for the stretch run, where he’ll likely remain for the rest of the season as the Wild get healthier. While they haven’t clinched a playoff spot, they have a solid cushion, and Walker is slated to get his first pro hockey experience in the postseason beginning next month.
While viewed as undersized by some, the incredibly speedy forward has proven his game translates to the pro levels this season. He was one of the most consistent players in college hockey during his time at the University of Minnesota, where he spent four seasons before signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Wild in free agency last August.
Filip Hallander Reassigned To AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced forward Filip Hallander has been reassigned to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. It puts an end to a wild day for the young forward. Hallander was called up by the Penguins this morning and head coach Mike Sullivan said him and Dustin Tokarski, who was also recalled, would hopefully be arriving by game time.
Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports later reported that both Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker were game-time decisions for the Penguins game against the Dallas Stars. Both of them took warmup and were then in the lineup, so the team had no room for Hallander. His recall was a precaution in case one of the veteran wingers was not able to play tonight.
Tokarski did not take part in the warmup and Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported he was yet to arrive in Dallas as of game time. This means Hallander was reassigned before he ever joined the team today as he would have been travelling with Tokarski.
Hallander, a 22-year-old forward, has spent most of the season in the AHL. He has played 40 games with Wilkes Barre/Scranton and scored 11 goals and 33 points. He has already played two NHL games with the Penguins this season, and one more in 2021-22, but is yet to register his first NHL point.
Toronto Maple Leafs Emergency Recall Joseph Woll
The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled goalie Joseph Woll from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis, the team tweeted Thursday.
The move was announced as starting netminder Ilya Samsonov is assumedly away from the team for the birth of his and his wife’s first child. Woll will back up Matt Murray tonight when the Leafs play the Florida Panthers, their second straight game against a hungry opponent in the thick of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.
Woll, 24, is quickly seeing his stock rise with impressive performances in both the big leagues and the minors this season. He’s been shuttled between leagues multiple times over the past few months as minor injuries have affected Samsonov and Murray.
He’s played in three games with the Maple Leafs this season, posting a 2-1-0 record with a 2.04 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. He stopped 25 of 26 shots in his last appearance, a win against the Calgary Flames in early March. While it’s unlikely Woll plays during what will be a short call-up in Samsonov’s absence, he’s earned more opportunities at the NHL level with similarly strong numbers in the minors.